With a 128-106 dismantling of the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday night, the Detroit Pistons ended their 10-day, five-game Western road trip with their third victory and showed a national TV audience who they are and why, at 25-8, they’re the top dogs in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. With 27 points, 11 assists and five rebounds in 33 minutes, Cunningham, who currently ranks fourth in All-Star voting among Eastern Conference players (1,000,171 votes), made plays all night. In doing so, he not only validated those votes, he likely earned a few hundred thousand more. According to teamrankings.com, the Pistons average 58.5 points in the paint per game, which leads the NBA. With 74 points inside, they outdid themselves against the Lakers, with centers Isaiah Stewart (15 points) and Jalen Duren (14 points) doing most of the damage. Tenacious defense has become the calling card of the 2025-26 Pistons, and on this night, they did not disappoint. They grabbed 12 steals and harassed the Lakers’ big guns, LeBron James and L
